Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s frustration at Chelsea looks set to continue after he suffered a foot injury.
The midfielder picked up the injury while playing for England against Switzerland and is likely to miss two matches he was expected to feature in.
Loftus-Cheek has been overlooked by Blues boss Maurizio Sarri so far this season but would have expected to be selected for the Europa League game against PAOK Salonika and the Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool.
However, he is set to miss out on those priceless opportunities to show Sarri what he can do.
The setback comes just after his Chelsea’s team-mate N’Golo Kante told Sky Sports he believes Loftus-Cheek, who spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace, is ready for the Blues’ first team.
Kante said: “When I came to Chelsea Ruben was already here and for sure he is a good player.
“Now he’s in the England squad. He did well last season at Crystal Palace and I think he’s ready to play.
“He’s played some good games and now it’s the manager’s decision. We all have the chance to be at Chelsea and to play with some of the best players in the league.
“We can all learn from that but he needs to keep working, to keep improving and I hope it will come at the right time.”